Railroad frog protector



Jan. 3, 1928.

v B. T. GIBBS. JR RAILROAD FRQG PROTECTOR Filed Feb. 2e, 1927 r2 sheets-sheer 1 IIIL..

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Jan. 3,1928.

` B. T. Glass. JR

RAILROAD FROG PROTECTOR Filedeb. za. l1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .ff'z'edzazf may;

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v228 on a UNITED o1Frflca.y

OF CHIGAGOr HEIGHTS, ILLINOIS, 'i 'ASSIGNGR' Bam-:nier rr. Grans, m.,

'rolMoRDEN ir'aoe &' GROSSING 'WOIKS, vOF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, Af CORPORATION ILLINOIS.

inail-nomi 1 Face .Y PROTECTOR.

.Application led february 28, 1927.` Serial No.. 171,420.

. 'This invention relates to railway track equipment and particularly to devlces for filling in the triangular spaces at the junctions of angularly disposed rail members-as, forl instance, at the toes and heels of conventional railroad frogs and in connection with switchpoints, in whichgso many people have in the past caught their feet with resulting loss of their lives. Y

The object of the invention is to provide a metallic,y permanent'device of this class :con- Y of "labor,

structible with. a 'minimum amount n v specififrom a minimum number of parts,

cally two identical, Y comparatively 'simple parts, easily andv economlcally installablev in place; the whole satisfactory in inal operation. f

The invention consists in a n ing theforegoing and other objects and '1n features and details hereaftermore fully set forth in the specification and claims.`

Referring tothe drawings in which like numerals designate the same parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a. plan viewof a conventional railroadfrog equipped with two illustraa tions of the mechamsm of this invention.

Y Figur-e 2 lis a somewhat enlarged lan view of thefrog at the left hand endj of igure. 1, the head of one raill being broken away and someparts being shown'injsec- `Figure 3 is la side viewtaken onV the line 3-3 fFigure 2. f l

' Figure4 is a transverse view taken' on the line'4-4 of'Figure 2. Figure 5 is a perspective viewof Vone of the two angle members entering' into the construction of the device ofl this invention.

Figurey 1 of the drawings shows a conventional railwayfrog 10, secured: by s'pikes'12 to conventional ties 14 resting on the ground. Abutting the'left or atlines'17 are two'track rails'lS and 2(1), each securedin its roper conventional position atfthe end ofl the frog by alpair" of fish vplates 2,2 Hproperly positioned across `joints 17 and'four bolts 24, 25,26 and 27. Inaccordance .with standard practice, alter- ',.naterbolts on. eachrail are inversely, inserted, i. e., so that. 24 and 26 have-'their' heads side of the rail opposite tothe heads 29 of the other two bolts25 and'k'27 in the .same rail Withrthe obvious .resultv that vthe A nuts 32 of `alternate bolts; are fonthe .oppodevice attain-,-

y *Broadly stated,

40 shown in Vdetail'infFigure 15, each having 'fiange 44 'isv provided toe end 16 ofthisl frog site side' of the rail" from the 'nuts upon the other two bolts. Also in accordance with standard railway track practice,l bolts 24` in the two railslie in a common plane across i the two ralilsand are correspondinglypositioned, i. ve., pointV in the same direction; while the-nextfpair of bolts 25v lie in adifferent parallel I plane vacross the rails and point in the o relationshipexists between bolts 26, andfbetweenrboltsz .27.

.It is conventionall practice `to make each of the connecting' bolts just .described with a non-circulary portion'v 34 immediately adjacenty to its head entering a corresponding non-'circular perforation in the adjacent' fish plate with the. result' that eachpbolt is held non-rotatively by the fish plate so! engaged and'it is, therefore, possible for vthe operator to" turn 'up .thefnut 32 at the opposite end of that particular bolt. A .K y The angular spaceI 36 between-"the rails 18 and 20, terminating ait about "38 inthe toe of 'the frog 10 isV an kexample of an angular space J in trackwork in which people'have posite direction. VThe [same inf thepast caught their .Vfeet, (particularly but not exclusivelyon thenuts andA bolt heads flying withinthat space)v which it is "necessary to fill Vup. to prevent such accidents. The device of this invention forthis purpose is'shown applied at'this point. t

e mechanism comprises two. angle ironsv a horizontal top w'flange ,'42 andan ad `acent verticalflange 144 so, placed in angular space "36 that horizontal Vtop flan es 42-'42 suicientlyoverlap4 asshown in igure4^`to prevent a persons foot catchingin' the frog' space. I More in detail, each with two. rectangular notches 46 sufficiently cent side-of the rail.' Each vcrticalfiange 44 `parts 34 of the bolts so' that by firstloosening. nuts 32'andpartially withdrawing the rbolts'from theirpermanent position in the fish plate andy then turning them` yfrom theposition shown'in Figure 3, the nonlarge to clearithek two f :nuts 32, heretofore described, on the adjayalso has two invertedU-shapefnotches'48 Y havingnon-circular topsV 50` adapted to r'el.

circular partsk ofthe bolts may' enter the U-shaped'notches 48 as the angle member- 40 is lowered to position as shown in the drawings, the final step in such voperation i in either direction to bring the-non-circular portion 34 to horizontal position, as shown final position and tightening Lup nuts 32.

Each angle member 40 is in the process of manufacture provided with oppositcly disposed, elongated end slots 52 and 54 formed in the horizontal flange 42 immediately adjacent to the vertical flange 44 withtlie re# sult that the eXtreme end 'portions 56 of' horizontal flange 42 may be selectively bent angularly downward, as shown in Figures 3 and 5, when and as desired by the operator. When the operator has lii'rovided himself with two of' the angle devices '40 of this 'invention, constructed as just described, he first loesens vthe 'four bolts 24-26'011 each side of angular 'space .36, whose heads are Within that space 'and thenv by manipulatiiigthe boltsfas described places over said bolt-heads within the space 36 the two angular bars 40 with'thei'r flanges overlapping as shown particularly in Figure'4'. There is sufficient play in "the b Olts and fish plates so tlieflanges 42 of identical angle bars 40 can overlap vas's'hown. Having done this, the operator tightens up the nuts 32 which are on the sidesY of the adjacent rails and Voutside'of the angular space v36, thereby firmly securingt-he device in position betweenfthe rails. Having done this, the operator takes a hammer and knocks down the two outer end portions 56 to the angular positions sh`own,'thereby preventing a persons foot catching under the ends of' flanges ,42. ,'VVhen this has been done, the device is permanently Ylocated in operative position and prevents injury to people accidentally stepping within theangular space 36.

The angular members 40 are of'such a length and have flanges 42 of such a Width that the small space lG2 at their most difvergent ends is not sufficient for a passerby to=get his or lierfoot therein.

At the opposite or heel end of the frog ylOshown in the drawingsare other rails 64 fi and 66r connected theretoby identically constructed fishv plates and bolts, there being between these rails. 'an angular space 68 which isiilled in with the device of this vinvention ineXactly the same manner as vheretofore described in connection with the space 36.v

A Agreat advantage of this structure is that the inexpensive angular members 40inay be made in large quantities and interchangeably wherever the combinations of vfour bolts shown, as is conventionally thepractice, are used in attaching railsA together over joints 17. Y

angles 40 are inadeof sufficiently heavy metalt so that the overlapping flanges 42 are strong enough'to sustain the ordinary weights 'ofvpersons stepping upon the assembled device. in Figure 3, and then shoving the bolts into siiidicated 'in the opening statement, the invention is not limitedto railway frogsbut itinay be applied to anyjangularly disposed track Vparts -which present the described foot danger. i

lt' quite obvious vthat by'equi-spacing the perforations '46 and 48, the langle bar 40 is made interchangeable on either side of the V spa-ce to be protected where it would notl be otherwise.

' riihere is sufficient give to the boltfconnec-y tions softhat the flangesj42 in'aycverlap as shownin Figure 4, notwithstanding the factthat the two bars V40 are identical and inter# changeable.

l claim as new Aand'desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

l.v As an article of manufacture,r for use as al foot guard, an angular member having a horizontal flange for 'engagement by a foot and a vertical flange for attachment to a rail, said vei'tical'fiange being provided with perforations for'snugly engaging the vrail bolts and with larger 'peiforations' for clearing the rail bolt head-s".

' 2. yAs an article'of manufacture, for use as a foot/guard, an angular member having a horizontal flange for engagement by a foot and a vertical flange for attacliinentto a rail, said vertical fiange being provided with 'perforations alternately engaging bolts" t; Si

Having thus described myinvention, what i on an adjacent rail'and Vclearing intervening vbolt heads on said rail.

3. Asan yarticle 'of manufacturafor use Vas a f'ootguard, an angular member having a horizontal flange for/engagement by a foot and a vertical flange for attachmentv to a rail', said vertical flange being'provided with equally spaced perforations alternately "engaging bolts onan' adjacent'rail and clearing intervening'bolt vheads VOnsaid rail.

4. As anarticle'of inanufacturei'k forV use vas afoot guard, an angular inemberhaving a lhorizontal flange for engagement .by a toot, a vertical flange for attachment 'to a rail, said horizontal flange having Vmeans disposed adjacent the junctionof the flanges permitting the bending downward of' an end 15. As anfarticle of manufacture,for .use as a foot guard, an angular member having a. horizontal flange for engagement bya foot, in serted in place, one'overlapping the other,

a vertical iiangeforattachment ,to a rail,

'said vertical flange beingprovided with perportion of the horizontal flange for the purposes 'set forth.

clearing intervening bolt bending downward of an end portion of the y horizontal flange for the purposes set forth.

6. As an article of manufacture, for use as a foot guard, an angular member having a horizontal flange for engagement by' a foot and a vertical flange for attachment to a rail, said vertical flange being provided with equally spaced perforations alternately engaging bolts on an adjacent rail and clearing intervening bolt nuts onv said rail, and means permitting the bending downward of an end portion of the horizontal flange for the purposes set forth.

7. As an article of manufacture, an angle Vmember having a horizontal top flange 42 and a vertical flange 44, said device being provided with perforations 46 and 48 and notches 52 and 54, all arranged and disposed as shown and described.

8. In the art described, in combination with two angularly disposed rails, each-provided with a multiplicity of inversely inserted cross bolts correspondingly vspaced apart along the respective rails and lying by twos in the same transverse planes across the rails, those in each crossV plane being pointed in the same direction; a foot guard in the space between said rails secured to said rails by said bolts, said guard comprising two reversely placed, identical angle bars having overlapping horizontal flanges and vertical flanges, each secured to respective adjacent railsby the bolts whose heads are in the space between the rails, there being in each of said vertical flanges notches clearing the nuts, on bolts, which are inside the space between the rails.

9. An article of manufacture, for use as a foot guard, comprising an angular member having a horizontal flange for engagement by a foot and a vertical flange for attachment to a rail, said vertical flange being provided with perforations for snugly engaging bolts and with larger perforations for clearing bolt heads the end of the horizontal flange having a bendableL tongue for the purposes set forth.

l0. An article manufactured for use as a foot guard, comprisingv an angular member including a vertical flange provided with perforations for snugly engaging bolts and larger perforations for clearing bolt heads, said perforations being alternately arranged and equi-spaced longitudinal of the vertical flange to permit the angular member to be installed ona rail on either side of the space to be protected, said horizontal flange having its opposite ends formed with free tongues normally lying in the plane of the horizontal flange but constructed and arranged to be bent downwardly for the purposes set forth. Y 1 i l1. An article manufactured for use as a foot guard and attachable to the side of a rail comprising an angular member having a horizontal flange for engagement by a foot anda vertical flange for attachment to a rail, the end of the horizontal flange having a slot therein extending from theeXtreme end of the flange inwardly toward the other endof the flange. to provide a bendable portion.Y Y

In witnesswhereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

BnNEDioT T. GIBBs, JR. 

